In the wake of widespread criticism about fundraising methods it's time for the sector’s most influential fundraisers to exert their influence, says Stephen Cotterill.

Recent events have turned a harsh and critical eye on the fundraising community and reignited the debate about self-regulation and best practice. Umbrella bodies, trustees and fundraisers of all hues will spend much of the summer addressing their methods, reviewing their strategies and looking to repair the damage done to public trust.

There are a lot of ideas being bandied around. Some are quite radical: licensing for fundraisers; compulsory membership to the FRSB; even the creation of an independent body to set and enforce codes of practice. Other ideas are less hardcore: calls for stricter IoF codes; better training; changes in fundraising culture.

More now than ever the sector needs leadership – strong, decisive and, perhaps most importantly, ethical leadership. It needs individuals and the organisations they work for to step up and really wrestle with the idea of what best practice is and what needs to be done to make it the standard across the sector.

OK, our 50 Most Influential poll is a bit tongue in cheek (Mark Astarita famously called it the “biggest tossers in fundraising” list), but essentially it is about people who are deeply embroiled in this sector and live and breathe fundraising. These are the ones that can make a real difference. Now is the time to exert that influence.

What we have to be mindful of is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The majority of charities, especially the smaller ones that don’t have the resources to aggressively mass-market even if they wanted to, fundraise responsibly. They have implied ethics and they stick to them.

That’s not to say any of us are off the hook. It is up to every charity worker, every fundraising team member and backroom data analyst to evaluate the “ask” and how to best make it in a modern, rapidly changing world.